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Our babies slept with us until they were about 3 years old. I moved the first to her crib when I was pregnant with my second, so she moved out after about a year, but the others all stayed for at least 3 years, some much longer.

There are so many benefits to co-sleeping, some of which I mentioned to you in response to some of your other posts... and when you're ready to move baby out of your bed and into her own, there are wonderful, gentle steps you can take to help her do this.

I have a 14 month old baby and she is very strong willed. I noticed that since she started walking, she doesn't like being placed in her cot anymore. She has been sleeping with us but I'm scared that she might fall off the bed and not being able to leave her in her cot has made it difficult for me to take care of my other chores as well. Is there a way I can train her again to be happy in her cot and not cry all the time when she's in there?

It sounds like your daughter may actually need to exercise her legs more. My guess is that if she were getting enough exercise during the day that she would be more content in her cot.

Try to take her for a walk every day. You can take her to the park or even to the shopping center and hold her hand and let her walk. You'll need to plan extra time for this, as her little legs don't go as quickly as yours do, but she's well worth it! Just consider it mummy time - time spent nurturing and caring for your little one.

I wouldn't try to leave her in her cot (awake) for more than maybe 15 minutes at a time, especially if the cot is in a bedroom, and she can't see you. One way I found that helped me get chores done better was to put my baby in a backpack. This way baby was with me and I could talk to her, but my hands were free and I could vacuum, do laundry, cook and do dishes. The movement often put her to sleep, and then I could take the backpack off and lay her down. If you have a backpack, be sure to strap your daughter in well, with straps that go over her shoulders. This way, if you happen to bend over (without thinking) she won't fall out

If you train your daughter to entertain herself (as opposed to wanting to be entertained) she will be able to look at cardboard books by herself, play with a stuffed animal or do other age appropriate things in her cot. I often used a playpen that I put in the middle of the living room. My child would have 30 minutes of play pen time, but after that, I would take her out and we would do something else.

I hope this helps - please post back and let me know your thoughts and if you have any other questions.

Safe co-sleeping can be beneficial for both the baby and child. Parents who cosleep should avoid fluffy beds and extra pillows. They should only go to sleep sober, it is not recommended for the extremely obese, etc.

But to answer your question, YES I think it is ok and mine sleep with me until around 3, as Kate said.

I've now started taking my baby to the park everyday and she seems very excited all the time. She would even get her little shoes and walk to the door when she knows its time to go for a walk haha so adorable. Anyway she still hates her cot and still prefers to sleep with us but I now realise there's nothing wrong with that so I'm not gonna worry too much

I'm sure it makes you feel so good to see your daughter so eager to go on walks with you and the exercise is so good for you both. Will your daughter take a nap or two during the day, and have you found that she sleeps better when she gets some good exercise like a walk?